ENGAGING STRATEGIES IN CLASSES, COMMUNITIES, AND RESEARCH

Abstract Educators can use community engaged learning (CEL), also known as service learning, to empower all ages, bridging both college students and older adults needs. With the wrong approach, service just attached to a course may reinforce negative stereotypes. To assure best practice, educators benefit from CEL competencies to promote positive learning and avoid reinforcing ageism. Competencies, based on a community-engaged taxonomy, include: Reciprocal partnerships, Diversity of interactions and dialogue, Community activities, Civic competencies, Critical reflection, and Assessment (Rathlef, 2022; Kecskes, 2015). A complete explanation of each competency will be explained and illustrated. Using the competencies as a framework, two specific programs with college students and older adults were evaluated using both formative and summative measures. One program, a virtual intergenerational interaction, lasted seven weeks. The second program, an in-person program at the University’s equestrian and nature center, spanned five weeks. Pre and post comparisons of civic learning outcomes using CLEO, written reflections, focus group discussion, and partner perspectives were analyzed. Older adults reported some improvement in social interaction and companionship with some expansion in social networks. Students significantly improved civic knowledge outcomes. The students’ written reflections revealed a self-reported change in attitude toward older adults. Students also expressed a shift in their perceptions of future work in a health setting with older adults. Community-engaged learning can empower all ages, but an educator’s attention to the competencies supporting best practice can make a significant difference to the outcome of these efforts.

methylation-based aging measures were generated from blood collected at baseline and 14 years later.Unexpectedly, the intervention was associated with a long-term increase in AgeAccelPheno compared to the control condition (t-test, p< 0.05).ILI was not associated with a change in other epigenetic measures over 14 years (AgeAccelHannum, AgeAccelHorvath, AgeAccelGrim and DunedinPACE), or a change in a frailty index reflecting accumulation of 38 health deficits.Overall, the average change in frailty index was higher among participants with advanced epigenetic age at baseline (AgeAccelHannum>0 and AgeAccelGrim>0,p < 0.05), suggesting that epigenetic aging markers may be useful predictors of frailty risk.Well-powered studies are needed to better understand the long-term impact of intensive lifestyle interventions on epigenetic aging in adults with diabetes and obesity.We performed extended (3-month) Heterochronic Parabiosis (HPB), followed by a 2-month detachment period of anastomosed pairs.Old detached mice exhibited improved physiological parameters and lived longer than control isochronic mice.HPB drastically reduced the biological age of blood and liver based on epigenetic analyses across several clock models using multiple independent platforms; remarkably, this rejuvenation effect persisted even after 2 months of detachment.Transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles of anastomosed mice showed an intermediate phenotype between old and young, suggesting a global multi-omic rejuvenation effect.In addition, old HPB mice showed gene expression changes opposite to aging, but akin to several lifespan-extending interventions.Altogether, we reveal that long-term Heterochronic Parabiosis can decrease the biological age of mice, in part through long-lasting epigenetic and transcriptome remodeling, culminating in the extension of lifespan and healthspan.

ENGAGING STRATEGIES IN CLASSES, COMMUNITIES, AND RESEARCH
Abstract citation ID: igad104.1943

COMMUNITY ENGAGED LEARNING: COMPETENCIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR EMPOWERING ALL AGES Betsy Kemeny, Slippery Rock University, Grove City, Pennsylvania, United States
Educators can use community engaged learning (CEL), also known as service learning, to empower all ages, bridging both college students and older adults needs.With the wrong approach, service just attached to a course may reinforce negative stereotypes.To assure best practice, educators benefit from CEL competencies to promote positive learning and avoid reinforcing ageism.Competencies, based on a community-engaged taxonomy, include: Reciprocal partnerships, Diversity of interactions and dialogue, Community activities, Civic competencies, Critical reflection, and Assessment (Rathlef, 2022;Kecskes, 2015).A complete explanation of each competency will be explained and illustrated.Using the competencies as a framework, two specific programs with college students and older adults were evaluated using both formative and summative measures.One program, a virtual intergenerational interaction, lasted seven weeks.The second program, an in-person program at the University's equestrian and nature center, spanned five weeks.Pre and post comparisons of civic learning outcomes using CLEO, written reflections, focus group discussion, and partner perspectives were analyzed.Older adults reported some improvement in social interaction and companionship with some expansion in social networks.Students significantly improved civic knowledge outcomes.The students' written reflections revealed a self-reported change in attitude toward older adults.Students also expressed a shift in their perceptions of future work in a health setting with older adults.Community-engaged learning can empower all ages, but an educator's attention to the competencies supporting best practice can make a significant difference to the outcome of these efforts.

CONDUCTING COMMUNITY-BASED GERONTOLOGY PROJECTS IN UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOMS: CAPSTONE CASE STUDIES Ronald Berkowsky, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, California, United States
Collaborations between university-level students and community-based organizations have long shown to be mutually beneficial in that they can address pressing community needs, advance the mission of the organization, and enhance the learning of students.In this presentation, I describe project collaborations between a non-profit volunteer caregiving organization based in Ventura County ("Caregivers") and Health Science undergraduate students (N = 76) enrolled in Capstone courses at California State University Channel Islands between 2022-2023.Projects were designed utilizing a community-based approach wherein the community partner ("Caregivers") played an active and central role in determining project goals and outcomes.Four projects, each addressing and/or serving a specific need, were completed by different Capstone sections: (1) the creation of an online governance training program to educate high school and university students on the basics of leadership in nonprofits which serve older adults; (2) the creation of a series of videos to educate on and advocate for volunteer caregiving; (3) the analysis of quantitative and qualitative survey data to evaluate the experiences and satisfaction levels of local volunteer caregivers and care recipients; and (4) the creation of a toolkit to be used by volunteer caregiving organizations implementing community meal delivery programs for older adults.In this presentation, I detail each project along with their major successes and challenges as assessed through personal observation, feedback provided by the community partner, and student reflections.I conclude with discussing best practices in implementing community-based projects in undergraduate settings and describe the value of such projects across all stakeholders.

INTERGENERATIONAL HAIKU-MAKING ACTIVITY: CREATING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS ACROSS GENERATIONS
Yoshiko Matsumoto 1 , Harumi Maeda 1 , Emily Wan 2 , Deven Bansal 1 , and Paolo Tayag 1 , 1. Stanford University,Stanford,California,United States,2. Waseda University,Tokyo,Tokyo,Japan Intergenerational activities rooted in creative arts can improve the social connectedness and quality of life of older people living with cognitive impairment (e.g., Dorris et al., 2022;Ihara et al., 2022).Our study further explores the potential of humanities-based approaches to improve well-being and create meaningful connections across generations.Addressing the increasing concerns of loneliness and social isolation among older people living with cognitive impairment, we carried out a haiku-making activity in which 2-3 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) interact with 2-3 university students in the creation of haiku poems based on seasonal photos.This Japanese poetic form can be composed using short phrases that describe emotional responses to natural scenes, free from the logical and grammatical constraints of prose.This structure enables a failure-free environment that engages participants in self-expression and imagination.Additionally, haiku's simple but often unfamiliar format allows all participants to interact and contribute on an even playing field (Author et al., in press).Our analysis of the (1) recorded haiku-making activity sessions, (2) recorded post-session interviews, and (3) completed haiku poems reveals positive impacts of the activity on both the older participants with MCI and the younger participants.Our findings illustrate how haiku-making and haiku-based conversations promote emotional well-being and intergenerational understanding among participants.This study presents a model for how incorporating perspectives from the arts and humanities into gerontology/geriatrics programs can improve quality of life and enhance meaningful social/intergenerational connections across life stages.Qualitative interviews are a useful research method because they allow researchers to gather in-depth data beyond the use of traditional survey methods.In this way, qualitative research is an effective method to understand complex and intricate aging-related concepts because there is room for developing new methodological ways for gathering data.A possible way to expand data collections is through the incorporation of material possessions as research aids.Older adults likely accumulate a series of material objects throughout their life course.These objects can take on a supportive role for older adults by conveying important aspects of meaning and are often attached to their identity.

THE THINGS WE KEEP: AN EXAMINATION INTO THE USE OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IN QUALITATIVE GERONTOLOGICAL INTERVIEWS Samuel
Van Vleet, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United  States